New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday asked 21 Opposition leaders to file within a week their reply on the Election Commission’s affidavit on their plea regarding Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) slips in Lok Sabha polls.
The Opposition leaders led by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had sought that VVPAT slips of at least 50 per cent of voting machines in each Assembly constituency be checked randomly during Lok Sabha polls next month.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Opposition leaders, to file the reply by next Monday.
The poll panel had Friday last sought dismissal of the petition.
In its affidavit, the EC had asserted in the apex court that Opposition leaders have been unable to raise any ground for altering the existing system of random counting of VVPAT slips from one polling booth per Assembly segment, which was “found to be most suitable” after due studies and tests.
The poll panel currently adopts a system of counting of VVPAT slips in one polling booth per Assembly constituency in the Assembly polls and in one polling booth in each Assembly segment for the Lok Sabha polls.
“Any further increase in the sample size of verification will lead to very negligible gain in the confidence level,” the poll panel had said.
It had said the issues raised by parties have already been considered, studied and determined and the decision has been taken to conduct the present elections by adopting the prevalent system of counting of VVPAT slips.
The EC, which was asked on March 25 by the apex court to give its view on increasing the number of random sample surveys from one booth per assembly segment, had said that in the future elections it may consider suggestions for further improving the holding of polls in free and fair manner.
“It is submitted that with the imminent elections issues raised in the instant petitions are matters that have already been considered, studied and determined by the Election Commission of India and have since culminated in adopting the course of conduct of the imminent election in the present manner,” the EC had said in its affidavit.
It had said the writ petition filed by 21 Opposition leaders, “does not raise any ground or base for altering the existing system at this juncture and it is accordingly prayed that the present system as decided to be adopted for the imminent elections be continued with and the petition dismissed.”
The poll panel had maintained that it was always open to bringing about any improvements that would further the cause of free and fair elections.
PTI
